U.S. Embassy Denies Issuing Warning to Citizens to Avoid Hamra, Gefinor Area

The United States embassy in Lebanon denied on Tuesday issuing a warning to its citizens in the country to avoid Hamra street in Beirut and Gefinor area.

“Such messages were not sent by the U.S. embassy in Beirut,” the mission said via its account twitter, describing the reports as “false.”

“The only official message issued by the embassy is our security message to U.S. citizens on January 5,” another tweet said.

The U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning advisory to Lebanon over safety and security concerns earlier in January.

The statement said that following “recent bombing in Beirut and other instances of violence that occurred in Lebanon in recent months, the U.S. government strongly urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to exercise extreme caution.”

The statement called on U.S. citizens to avoid “hotels, western-style shopping centers, including western-style grocery chain stores, and any public or social events where U.S. citizens normally congregate, as these sites are likely targets for terrorist attacks for at least the near term.”

On December 27, ex-Finance Minister and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's adviser, Mohammed Shatah, who is a prominent critic of the Syrian regime, and seven others were killed in car bombing in the heart of the capital.

And on January 2, five people were killed and more than 70 others wounded as a car bombing rocked the Beirut southern suburb of Haret Hreik, a Hizbullah stronghold.

The U.S. State Department has already warned U.S. citizens on several occasions to avoid all travel to Lebanon and recommended those in the country make plans to leave.

The conflict in Syria has increasingly spilled over into Lebanon in the shape of deadly clashes and bombings.